IS bag carried out

Tears in court: couple charged with terrorism

The 16-year-old receives a conditional prison sentence. The case against the 19-year-old is adjourned.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Reinhard Holl)

He is 19 and she is just 16 years old - they are both alleged to be supporters of the Islamic State (IS) and to have carried out propaganda for the terrorist organization. And this even when both had already testified to the police as suspects. While the girl makes a confession in the Vienna Provincial Court, the 19-year-old is shaken by crying fits in another courtroom.

One floor separates the young couple in the Vienna Provincial Court - where they are being tried at the same time. They are alleged to be members of IS and to have diligently propagandized for the terrorist organization. She had walked across the Praterstern with a self-made IS cloth bag, he had plans to leave for Syria, according to the public prosecutor's office. 

Joined the IS at the age of 15
First, the 16-year-old must take her seat in courtroom 16. "The activity of the accused was primarily to spread propaganda," the public prosecutor begins. And not just on TikTok, Instagram and the like: on July 11, 2023, she and a friend walked across the Praterstern in full veil - with a cloth bag over her shoulder adorned with an IS symbol. They were stopped by the police, reported and an investigation was launched. 

"But it turned out that it didn't stop there," the public prosecutor revealed to the jury. Although she had already testified to the police as a suspect at the end of 2023 and had to take part in a deradicalization programme, she continued to run two Telegram accounts until August 2024 and sent propaganda there ...

Minor intelligence detected
Her defense lawyer tries to provide an explanation, but not an excuse: "She had a traumatic experience at the age of 12. She turned to Islam, where you can cover yourself up." In addition, her client has an IQ of 65, "which means she is very easy to influence. I think it's beyond her mental capacity to understand the full implications of her actions."

I thought that was true Islam. I wanted to show the world that this is true.

16-jährige Wienerin über ihre radikale Einstellung

When asked by the presiding judge, the then 15-year-old gave an insight into her radicalization: she came from a Christian family in Upper Austria, but lived in Vienna. At some point, she finally started to look into religion: "I thought to myself that it didn't make sense for me to be a Christian. I don't believe in Christianity and I don't understand it either. Islam is clear. When I read the Koran, I understand what it means." She eventually met radical Islamists in a mosque and wanted to be like them.

Terror defendant (19) is shaken by crying fits
It was in this scene that she finally met her "husband", as she calls him. A quarter of an hour later, he has to face his terror charges in courtroom 21. However, the 19-year-old is brought forward from custody - according to the public prosecutor's office, he planned to leave for Syria and join IS in October 2023. He had also previously spread propaganda and ordered flags on the internet. 

The 19-year-old defendant and his defense lawyer. He speaks of a "love story that ended badly".

(Bild: Holl Reinhard/Reinhard Holl, Krone KREATIV)

In contrast to the 16-year-old, however, the young Viennese pleaded not guilty. During his testimony, he repeatedly bursts into tears. "I only did it for her. I knew she would see the postings. I wanted to impress her. I really didn't know my way around. I also ordered the flags for her," he sobs in the Vienna Landl.

And the 19-year-old's defence lawyer also emphasizes that it was the girl who steered his client in the radical direction. It was "actually a love story that didn't end well", the lawyer claimed.

From the dock to the witness stand
After a brief deliberation by the lay assessors, the 16-year-old received a non-appealable 15-month conditional prison sentence. However, her appearance in court is not over yet. After the verdict, she has to testify as a witness one floor higher in courtroom 21, exonerating her 19-year-old "husband". The posts on social media for which he is accused were actually written by her. However, the trial is adjourned for another witness. However, the young Viennese man is released from custody.